Man held in Lode slaying

Pursuit stretched from Lodi to Sacramento

SAN ANDREAS - A man riding a stolen Harley-Davidson motorcycle was arrested Thursday night in Sacramento and is being held for questioning in this week's slaying of a man whose body was found Tuesday in his home near West Point.

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By Dana M. Nichols

recordnet.com

By Dana M. Nichols

Posted Jul. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Dana M. Nichols

Posted Jul. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

SAN ANDREAS - A man riding a stolen Harley-Davidson motorcycle was arrested Thursday night in Sacramento and is being held for questioning in this week's slaying of a man whose body was found Tuesday in his home near West Point.

The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office on Friday morning confirmed that the dead man was Norman Gresham III, who was found bleeding in his home in the 200 block of Stanley Road. Otherwise, investigators said little about the case and continued to withhold the identity of a woman who was found bleeding at the Stanley Road home. She was hospitalized and apparently survived.

Gary McMahan, 31, was wanted as a "person of interest" in the case, according to Calaveras authorities.

On Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office asked the public's help in locating McMahan, who was also wanted for arrest on two felony warrants from other jurisdictions. The next day, they got that help.

"Calaveras County gives us a call and indicates their suspect Gary McMahan was potentially in our city, gave us the license plate of the stolen Harley-Davidson he was believed to be in possession of," Lodi police Sgt. Tim Fritz said.

About 7 p.m., officers saw the motorcycle near Pine and Hutchins streets and tried to stop it. The rider fled.

"The rider of that motorcycle led us on a pursuit east to (Highway) 99 and then northbound on 99 to the Sacramento city limits, with speeds reaching 95, 100 miles an hour at maximum, but typically around 85," Fritz said.

When the chase neared Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol took over, Fritz said. The CHP reported that it took McMahan into custody after he stopped on a crowded section of Highway 50.

Calaveras authorities have been tight-lipped on the case so as to not compromise the ongoing investigation, Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Chris Hewitt said.

The unanswered questions though have sparked speculation and rumors in West Point, where Gresham frequented a pizza parlor and gas station.

Hewitt said he could at least put to rest one of those rumors - that the injured woman was an ex-wife of McMahan. She is not, Hewitt said in an email. He also said that the woman's condition is stable but that he could not disclose the nature of her injuries.

Gresham's father, Norman Gresham Jr., was quoted in the Sonora Union Democrat as saying he had been told by authorities that his son was shot in the head.

Hewitt declined to comment.

Reached by phone at his home in Folsom, Norman Gresham Jr. declined an additional interview.

"The police have asked us not to speak with any reporter on this," Gresham said.

The address sign outside of the home of Norman Gresham III indicated it was occupied by "Norm and Belle" Gresham. West Point residents said Belle was the name of his dog.

Residents also reported seeing Gresham working regularly as a ranch hand on property owned by his landlord.

According to Calaveras County property records, the home Gresham occupied on Stanley Road was purchased in April 2012 by Phyllis Furia of Rail Road Flat. That purchase date coincides with the time Gresham reportedly moved into the home.